After Dark
by YouAreGross
Summary: The Winter Soldiers memory was always taken from him. The one time he chose to give them up was after an encounter with a woman who was equally as tortured, so when he crosses paths with her in the future he has no recollection of her. However, her memories of him, untampered with, could never be forgotten.
1. Prologue

**AN:** _I do not own any recognizable characters or settings._ _I am aware that the League of Shadows is a creation of DC and not Marvel, I'm only using it for introductory purposes and for now I don't plan on using it again once the story moves from this particular setting and after five or six chapters that I already have written. Just a warning, this is my first __fic._

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**Prologue**

Deep in the Himalayan alps lies the headquarters of The League of Shadows. An ancient and powerful society of assassins who believe that they are right in their definition of true justice. At the head of this League is Ra's Al Ghul, the Head of the Demon, whom every former soldier, mercenary, assassin, petty criminal, and ordinary man in the League is fanatically loyal to.

These hit men, operating both for hire and their own agenda, claim to bring balance to the world by assassinating principal figures and terrorizing organizations. Ra's was a king who had laid a crown upon his own head. Being the most valued and highest ranking member, he was to be protected at all costs. This duty fell on only the most capable among them. Deadly fights took place to decide who got the great honor of defending the Head of the Demon. Soon, it came down to two of the most adept.

Lady Shiva and David Cain, world renowned assassins, battled it out. Cain, who had been in the League for years, was known for preparing for every possible contingency. Lady Shiva, had a hobby of hunting down the best fighters in the world and beating them to death with her bare hands. Cain had planned to oppose Shiva for a long while now with one thought in mind, an exchange. Cain won the long and grueling duel against her. More often than not, these duels would end in the execution of the losing contender but Cain allowed Shiva to live if she would bare his child.

For many years Cain had attempted to train children and raise them as weapons but his experiments never produced the results that he desired. He decided that the problem lay in genetics, his solution was that he would have his own child and begin its training the moment it was born.

"This child will be the one who secures the Head of the Demons safety and it will be the deadliest thing that the world has ever had to come up against." He explained to his peers. They all thought him mad. Ra's allowed him to continue his experiments because he believed that Cain could produce such a child. He had faith.

Lady Shiva was hesitant to accept his offer but she reveled in the idea of testing herself against someone purely raised to be a weapon, so she accepted. Years later, that child would meet a man with a metal arm, an outsider from the shrouding prison of the League of Shadows, a man no less virtuous than the men and women who serve Ra's Al Ghul.

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**AN: **_This story will take place over a long period of time and the first few chapters will not take place during the film as I have not seen it yet. It is an eventual romance, it'll just take a while to set up. I will be changing a lot when I finally do see the film. If you could just bear with me here, that'd be amazing! _


	2. Devils Door

******AN:** _I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Anything between_ "/…/."_ is spoken in russian. Spoilers ahead.  
_

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**Devils Door**

The Winter Soldier breathed calmly as he scanned the area through the scope of his rifle. Seeing his own breath made him feel colder than he actually was. The sun was just peaking over the mountainside, none of its warmth reached him. He had worked in worse conditions before so he ignored the biting wind. He had his pick of concealed positions, there were plenty of mountains, a few of his operatives were scattered among them.

He was sent to eliminate a target that was standing in the way of those who wished to further Hydras progression in the world. The target was a leader of some sort of guild of people who seemed to fade out of existence but still held great political power. Power that they were using to keep Hydra and its officials out in the cold.

He waited and watched, looking for any sign of his target, or anyone really. The misty mountains were a perfect cover for him. Unfortunately, that went both ways. The grand palace he was across from was surrounded by fog and blinding snow, his target was currently holed up in a fortress made of tall stone walls. There were little to no windows, it looked like it was carved straight from the mountain. He was sure that it was even larger than it looked, and it was. The League had tunnels running throughout the mountainside.

"/Guards stationed at the entrance?/" He radioed one of his men stationed at a higher position for a better view. He already knew the answer.

The static came back, "/None that I can see, sir./"

An uneasy feeling crept into the Soldiers stomach. They had been stationed in the area for about a month and there was no sign of anything. No one went in and no one came out. The League was either very arrogant or had moved base. The feeling growing in the pit of his stomach told him he was wrong on all accounts.

"/Nothing on infrared?/" He spoke to all of his men this time.

"/No, sir. It's not picking up anything. The high humidity and the mountains are not letting any clear signals through again, sir./" One of them reported.

The Soldier was beginning to lose his cool demeanor. He could wait this out but he didn't climb up a mountain to look at the snow. He had to get closer but wasn't entirely sure on how. Blueprints on the building were nonexistent, there were no records to show anything about the area.

"/We can't go in blind. We don't know how many people there are or if they're here at all! We can't get any closer, it could be laced with traps./" One of the newer operatives shouted over the radio.

"/Then you should stop shouting before you potentially give away all of our positions./" Someone hissed back.

"/Fall back./" The Soldier lifted his sniper rifle, strapped it to his back, and started making his way to the rendezvous point. Disciplining the shouting agent would be necessary. Doling out punishment among the men, which he is capable of doing with great violence, would set a proper example of when it's appropriate to speak over comms.

He was disappointed in how this venture was turning out so far. There had been jobs before that had taken some time to execute but none that made him question his information or sources. Had he gotten the location of his target wrong? Was this particular base abandoned? Did his target know he was coming? Ra's Al Ghul couldn't have known he was coming. Maybe Ra's and his league were all underground. In all probability, they were all inside shielding themselves from the cold.

The file on Ra's was practically blacked out. Hardly anything of use was in it. Even the picture of Ra's was questionable. It was a grainy enlarged photo of a swarthy tall man with greying facial hair in what was presumably Africa, judging by the egyptian architecture behind him. The photograph itself was old and withered, like it had been held one too many times. Ra's would have aged by now.

He could bomb the place. Though it might be bomb proof for all he knew, and there was just no way of knowing that a bomb would reach his intended target. Ra's might not be in the palace after all. Of course a bomb would call a lot of attention, questions would be asked, questions that Winter Soldier wouldn't want to answer. As the Soldier went through the many different scenarios of how to kill Ra's Al Ghul, he noticed that no one else was making their way to the rendezvous point. He felt that uneasy sinking feeling in his stomach grow even more.

"/Confirm all positions./" He expected immediate replies but when none came he tensed. Reaching for his handgun he began searching the area finding nothing. No tracks or trace of anything.

Suddenly a presence made itself known, the sound of soft breathing came from behind him. Swinging his bionic arm with full force, he attempted to hit whoever it was. His opponent dodged it easily. Something so large and shiny definitely could not be missed. Once he set his eyes on the quick figure, he saw that they were far better accustomed to the weather, and much smaller. Everything but the eyes were covered in black garments and dark leather, shielding the figure from the harsh winds.

He lifted his gun, aimed, and began shooting. Again, his opponent was steps ahead, running towards him and barely dodging the bullets, when the figure was close enough it grabbed the tip of the barrel lifted it up and twisted it out of his arm, taking the gun from him. The Soldier reached for his rifle but his hands felt nothing on his back. The figure took it while it was close. The Soldier then resorted to knives that were strapped to his person. The figure disassembled the gun and rifle, scattering the pieces to the ground.

Holding the knives, the Soldier started slashing skillfully at his opponent but it would only dodge him, never raising a hand to him. The Soldier quickly grew tired of this and threw the knives at the figure. Instantly catching the knives, the figure threw them to the ground instead of at the Soldier. From this he surmised that his opponent was playing games with him and it made him furious. The Winter Soldier was not someone to play games with.

While his anger built, the figure finally took an aggressive action and ran towards him. He thought it would try to engage him in a physical brawl but instead it flipped over, using his shoulder as leverage and turned to put him in a chokehold. He was struggling against it but he couldn't reach around for the tiny figure. The elevation and chill there thinned out the air so much that it caused him to lose consciousness faster than he normally would.

As he was being dragged to the only building in sight, he heard and saw flashes of what was transpiring around him. The only entrance to the grand palace opened up, the large steel doors creaked as if they hadn't been opened in years. He saw the figure take its black hood off and the last thing he saw was a young girl dragging him to a well guarded pile formed out of his men.

* * *

"Cain, your daughter has left the walls of our home." A deep, accented voice called out to David Cain.

"The sensors have been tripped again, she's out with the team you ordered to bring in the intruders." He knew better than to let her out of the base but when he envisioned a future for his daughter it did not include keeping her locked in the dark. He thought she would travel the world and see all of the different people in it, but the only person she ever saw was Ra's.

"Return her to my side at once." Heeding his leaders command Cain sought out his child. Purposefully walking slowly through the wide halls, he made his way to the doors.

He arrived at the entrance only to see a pile of bodies. Bent over one body in particular was his child, looking at a mans bionic arm it seemed. She had never been exposed to such a thing. The only technology she had extensive knowledge about was weaponry, explosives, and vehicles.

She began to strip the intruders of their clothing. They couldn't have anything that might aid them in some way. She looked to her father expecting help. He ordered the others to strip them while he took her by the arm and led her back to Ra's.

"Ra's is upset with your absence." Cain tried explaining this to his child, and by the solemn look she gave him, he saw that she understood. He also saw that she was not sorry in the slightest, she was exhilarated by her recent activities.

As they walked, he thought of her, how he had grown to actually care for her. The child was meant to serve Ra's and nothing more. She grew up in a severely, isolated and lonely way. No one was to speak to her, so she never learned to. She was trained to read other people's movements and body language and predict, with uncanny accuracy, their next move. Her capability of 'seeing' her opponents' next move came at the cost of being unable to verbally communicate.

She had little to no company that included her teachers, sparring partners, Ra's, and himself. A mute assassin wasn't necessarily a bad thing but she could never be a leader. She could understand every twitch and what it meant, but no one could ever understand her.

Cain's heart grew heavier as they got closer to Ra's. He looked at his bright daughter who would never know anything but the enveloping shadow of Ra's.

* * *

The Soldier woke up to find that he was stripped to his black underwear and tied up on the floor. His comrades were in a similar state but still passed out. Now inside the mountain, the air was too groggy. He breathed deeply and reassessed the situation. They were all in a cavern being guarded by people who wore the same clothing as his original attacker.

The girl, he had almost forgotten about what had happened. He suspected she could have held her own against him in a fair fight if she avoided his arm. But she opted out and simply avoided an all out brawl. He thought it strange but it didn't really matter, she had brought him closer to Ra's Al Ghul. He just had to find a way out of the ropes and past the guards.

* * *

"She wants to see the prisoners." Cain knew his daughter would be curious about these strangers. No one had attempted to infiltrate the base in years. He went to Ra's already knowing the answer.

"Absolutely not. These men would corrupt her and take her from us were they given the chance," Ra's spoke in a calm voice but Cain could hear the undercurrent of anger. "They would take her back to their labs and wipe her memory of this place, of you, of me, they'd take everything from her. I will not see that child in chains."

"She is already in chains. Shackles which you have bound her in, never letting her out of the dark, never letting anyone near her-"

Ra's stood from his seat, "HOLD YOUR TONGUE! You are forgetting, I am the Head of the Demon, your commander, and not some common tyrant. While you would have these foul men rot your daughter, I will not allow them to breathe any longer." Ra's thundering voice echoed through the halls as he made his way to where the prisoners were being held.

* * *

She was meant to stay in her room until Ra's spoke to her but her curiosity of these strangers only grew when she thought back to the steel arm. She changed her clothes and made her way to the caves. Once the guards saw her, they bowed low and moved to stand outside the mouth of the cavern, assuming that she was going to check on them and report back to Ra's.

The Winter Soldier saw her enter the cavern, she had changed out of her clothes, he could see her clearly now. She was just a kid, had to be at least nineteen. She was short but lean, with straight black hair that flowed down her back, and an air of inquisitiveness surrounded her… She sat with her knees together on the floor close to him but leaned away like she wasn't sure of him. She was wearing dark blue robes and no shoes on. He thought her stupid for wearing such impractical clothing, she looked younger than he'd originally guessed. She didn't look Tibetan like the guards he'd seen so far did. Her wide eyes were slightly slanted, clear brown, and staring directly at his arm. She leaned closer to him. She extended her arm towards him and left her hand hanging in the space between them as if expecting him to reach for her too.

The Soldier guessed that she knew that he had gotten out of his ropes. She had walked in when he was about to attempt to wake his men. The guards were still outside and he couldn't decide whether to kill her or put his hand in hers. He decided on the latter, if he killed her now he would have to try an escape without his men, not that he cared for them but the chances of escaping would be higher if they were awake and free too. Also, the layout of the base was unknown to him. He had to bide his time. He took his metal hand from behind his back and placed it into her warm one.

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**AN:**_ Like I said this takes place over time so she will be reasonably older when I merge the story with Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Also, she will learn some english by that point._


	3. Falling Through

**AN:** _I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. _

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**Falling Through**

Ra's Al Ghuls protector knew the limb was mechanical but was fascinated at how it moved just as if it were an organic part of him. She ran her hand from the shoulder where the steel met his skin to the tips of his cool fingers, testing his reaction to touch. She was careful not to touch his flesh. He could not feel her lithe fingers glide across the metal. He could barely feel anything at all. He was just a tool meant to take orders and execute them, but there was always an itching sensation in the back of his mind whenever he dwelled too long on his 'prosthetic', which wasn't often at all.

The Soldier thought this was a test to see if he would attack her but he wouldn't while he was at such a disadvantage. He could practically see the curiosity radiate off of her as she felt his heavy arm. He was use to it, scientists, engineers, they all toyed with it. She lowered and lifted his arm multiple times before she started to look frustrated. She wanted him to leave the whole weight of it for her to lift but he didn't seem to understand. Her thick black brows furrowed and she shook her head letting her silky raven hair fall to his arm. He found it hard to believe that this little thing had taken him down a couple of hours ago. She couldn't have been the one to do it.

She looked as if she was trying to signal something to him because she didn't want to speak in fear that the guards might hear her. The Soldier had much more to fear, if he felt fear at all, than the guards and the young girl in front of him.

"Guards restrain her! Line the prisoners up against the wall, NOW!" The wrath of Ra's could be heard in his voice and the daughter of Cain knew she had made a mistake in seeking out the man. She let the guards lift her up from the ground without protest. The strangers were shoved up against the cold, rough cavern walls.

The sensation of being shoved around woke up the rest of the Soldiers comrades. They cursed and tried to slip out of their ties. In his wrath Ra's had forgotten the child and took out his great sword and began to free the prisoners heads from their shoulders. Blood splattered everywhere, the Soldier took action and grabbed the sword, ripping it from Ra's' hold, Cains daughter got out of the hold of the guards and unsheathed her own sword that had been hidden beneath her robes. She wanted to know more of these strangers and she could not do that if they were dead but she would not risk her leaders life.

Shocked Ra's looked to the Soldier and then the guards. "Stand down!" He shouted harshly, the guards had guns trained on the Winter Soldier, he was trapped. Unexpectedly Ra's turned and backhanded the child across her face.

"You have defied me. These men have already begun to cloud your mind!" He knew she didn't know what he was saying but she knew she was being reprimanded and that was satisfying enough. He gripped her shoulders and punishments began running through his head, several of them including eventual decapitation. She could see the malicious intent in his eyes and in the way he held her but she made no move against him.

"Ra's stop!" David came running into the cavern shoving past a few men, trying to get Ra's off of her.

In the recent commotion, the Winter Soldier took the sword that he had grabbed and freed his men from their bounds. It would be difficult for them to do much in just their undergarments. He could hear more men making their way to the cavern. The entrance was blocked by more people but the Soldier had the opportunity to kill Ra's while he was standing right in front of him. Just as he was about to start slicing into Ra's Al Ghul he was stopped by the girl. She had turned in Ra's' grip and stepped in front of the Soldiers target, sword steadily pointed at his throat and then he understood that she was meant to be his bodyguard. He had to kill her to get to Ra's.

"That's enough!" Cain growled. He pointed a rifle at the Soldier, the guards followed his lead and pointed guns at his men. "No ones killing anybody yet, put the sword down." Even more people had arrived and escape was very much impossible now. David shot at the Soldier. The sound of electricity crackling filled the cave. He was on his knees, his bionic arm had been shot with an EMP, it was disabled for the time being. "Tie them back up. Not him! Escort him back up to the dining room in the west wing. And clean up this mess." The Winter Soldier was apprehended and taken out of the cavern.

"Ra's, I think we should discuss our ties with Hydra."

"I think we should discuss the future of your daughter." Ra's countered. "Insubordination of any kind, will not be tolerated."

"If you would but allow her some freedom, I'm sure she wouldn't act against you." Davids voice hardened near the end.

"I will take this under advisement. We will continue this later," Ra's looked to the girl in question and he signaled for her to follow him. "Come. We have a soldier to interrogate."

* * *

Guards were stationed all around the room. They had placed a black bag over the Soldiers head so that he couldn't see where they were taking him. They were idiots, he had been counting his steps since he woke up. It wasn't taken off until he was sat down at a table. He was placed at the very end of the long wooden table. There wasn't anything on it but a bottle of wine and a few goblets on the farther end of it. The room was elegant and dark with a glowing fireplace.

"You've caused quite the disruption," He heard an accented voice address him. "Leave us. One of you fetch his clothing." The guards all bowed respectfully and exited the room immediately. His personal bodyguard shadowed him and pulled out a chair for him to sit at. Ra's sat further down the table to his right, taking a bottle of wine and serving himself a glass. He hadn't aged a day since that photograph in his file was taken.

The Winter Soldier was at an extreme disadvantage. His men may or may not be alive, he had no weapons, his arm was not operational, he wouldn't be able to kill Ra's with the girl in the room, and he didn't know how many people he'd have to go through to get out of this. He'd have to wait it out.

"Explain to me why my Hydra allies sent the great Winter Soldier and a few lesser men to murder me." Ra's asked as if he were asking about the weather. The Soldier said nothing, he just stared coldly at Ra's thinking of all the ways he could kill him. "I know exactly who you are and what you are capable of. And I know exactly why you've come. You will not succeed…" Ra's looked to his bodyguard and then back to the Soldier. He drank from the goblet and stayed quiet for a moment.

"You are not quite what I expected. I did not think you would be able to be beaten so easily but as I understand it, you were taken out by a measly chokehold by an opponent less than four times your age, size, and weight," Ra's chuckled and looked at his small guard. He looked proud for a moment and continued, "Then again, none can excel Cassandra Cain." He signaled something to her and she started taking steps towards the Soldier.

"She is incredibly interested in that arm of yours. I do hope you would consider letting her take it from you." Ra's continued on as Cassandra leaned down invading his personal space. She wasn't going to hurt him, Ra's could tell but the Soldier didn't know that. She repeated the process from earlier, but instead of running her hand from where the metal began on his shoulder down to his fingertips, she used a knife that seemed to appear out of thin air and into her hand. It was about three and a half inches long and not very wide. It was a pig sticker, just there for intimidation, for show. She traced the red star marked on his shoulder. Looking at his normal arm, she saw that he was scarred. She lifted her brow in admiration. Knives, bullets, shrapnel, many weapons had marked his skin at some point.

"Hurt him." Ra's' voice cut through the room. Cassandra's eyes seemed to solidify as she stood back up to her full height. She took a quick step back, raised her arm, and threw the knife in her hand at his thigh. He leaned forward but didn't make a sound.

"Cassandra, now is not the time for games!" Ra's scolded her. She looked back at Ra's and it gave the Soldier long enough to take the knife out and throw it at Ra's' head. It didn't hit it's mark. She instantly caught it and threw it at his shoulder. She didn't make any other move, she stood there waiting, eyes glittering with amusement. He gripped the knife, stood up and threw it towards her heart. She didn't even flinch as she moved over slightly and let it hit her arm. She yanked it out and threw it to his arm in the exact spot where he had hit her. The Soldier realized that the game Ra's was speaking of was this, throwing the knife back and forth. He grabbed the knife and tried for another kill shot.

Ra's shoved away from the table, stood up, and caught the knife, turned to Cassandra, and unexpectedly plunged the knife to the hilt into her stomach. If Ra's would do that to his own protector then he wouldn't think twice about killing the Soldier. This was the first time he had been caught and escape seemed less and less likely. She did not keel over in pain, or yelp, or do anything but stand there and look as if she had merely been slapped on the back of her hand. The Soldier knew at that moment that she was used to the violence. Her rosy face had an ugly yellow green bruise from when Ra's had slapped her in the caves.

"She has been disobedient as of late. You are alive now because she has been interfering." Ra's stated. A knock sounded at the door and a guard from before entered, bowing first.

"His clothes, sir." She said. She looked at Cassandra and saw that she had many fresh wounds, as did the other man.

"Take care of her wounds. Once you are done, send her to her chambers, lock her in. I'll be back shortly." With that Ra's left the room.

"Cass, are you alright?" Pema, a healer, sat Cassandra down as soon as Ra's left and took her robe off of her. The other woman set down the clothes on the table and went to a cabinet to get a medical kit.

The Soldier got up, put his clothes back on, and made his way out. There were two exits, the one Ra's exited out of, and the one closest to him. He stepped towards the closer one. He'd find a way to kill Ra's from a distance, he just had to get out of the base first.

"Cass don't!" He heard the other woman when he felt a small hand wrap around his arm. Turning to see that it was Cassandra without her robe, wearing a tank top and shorts. She would detain the Soldier and defend the Head of the Demon no matter how injured she was. It was what she was born to do, what she was trained for. She had no other purpose but to ensure the safety of one man.

"Let go of me." The Soldier ground his teeth at her. He prepared himself for a fight but Pema quickly interfered.

She tried to defuse the situation before it got out of hand. "You are lucky she is holding your arm and not breaking it."

"She's lucky I'm not breaking hers." He retorted.

"You would be on your knees before your stroke fell," Pema defended Cass. "You can't stop her."

By now Cass had let go of him but she was still standing closely to him.

"She has already bested you," That stopped the Winter Soldier cold. It was true. Cassandra could of snapped his neck earlier on the mountain, he suspected now that she purposefully let herself get caught behind him, he hadn't heard her when she grabbed him a minute ago. Pema continued, "Sit down now, Cain will talk Ra's into letting you go to try and repair the Leagues business with Hydra. Just be patient."

The Soldier was patient, but waiting around to be eventually executed was idiotic. He didn't have many options though. Guards could be waiting outside for him, his arm was disabled, he lost sight of his target, and he was still unarmed. He'd have to wait.

Cassandra saw that he wouldn't leave the room yet so she sat down in the chair he sat in earlier. Pema began to fuss over Cass' wounds and fixed them up. The only ones that needed stitching was the one on her stomach and arm, the rest Pema put steri-strips on and bandaged up. Once she was finished, she called on another guard to come into the room. He bowed to Cassandra and waited. He averted his eyes from her unusually under dressed form.

"Take her to her chambers, lock her in." Pema used Ra's' exact words. Pema had served the League as a healer and doctor for years. She was older than Cass but not as experienced a fighter, not many were.

The guard looked astonished. He had heard Ra's earlier but he was still flustered that he would be asked. He waited for Cassandra to get up and take the lead. Cass glanced at the Winter Soldier one last time before getting up to leave the room with the guard. He picked up her robe and handed it to her to put on. She exited the room with the guard and went to her chambers. No one could have known that in mere minutes she would be bloodied and broken in full view of the League of Shadows.

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**AN: **_Alright, I kind of rushed this one out so if it's terrible, I'm sorry. After the next two chapters is when this story will be more involved with the Marvel cinematic universe. Nick Fury will be in the story soon. For now just try to stick to it, I'm just trying to set up a proper back story. If you have any constructive __criticism, I'd appreciate it. I have two more chapters already written but I'm posting them Sundays and Mondays because I need the time to write and pace myself. In my first draft Bucky had more dialogue and was a bit sarcastic but it seemed off. _


	4. Burning in the Flame

**AN:** _I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Thank you all that have supported this and took the time to read my first fanfic, I really appreciate it! I've edited all the past chapters if anyones interested in reading them again, they're a bit more bearable._

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**Burning in the Flame**

Ra's entered his study, where David Cain was waiting for him. He sat at his chair behind the grand oak desk and allowed himself a moment to compose his thoughts on the matters at hand. He stared out one of the few windows in the building where the view never changed. The burgundy drapes framed a picture of endless white. He already knew what Cain wanted. Cain wanted to set the prisoners free as an attempt at peace with Hydra. Perhaps set up a meeting where they could all come to an understanding. Ra's saw the benefits of it but he didn't want anyone to catch wind of him releasing any prisoner.

Cassandra was also on his troubled mind. She had gone against his word. Cain wanted him to allow her some freedom. He wanted her to be the exception to the rule. Punishment is what she needed. To reward her with any freedoms now would encourage her to misbehave. He come to the decision that he believed would balance the wrongs that had recently occurred. David waited for him to speak.

"Kill them." Ra's finally broke the silence.

"Are you certain?" Cain didn't want to upset him but this seemed rash.

"Yes. Kill them all… All except for Hydras Asset. He shall be escorted by a troop of our finest back to his extraction point. Contact Hydra once he leaves, let them know he did not succeed in killing me, set up a meeting somewhere remote, and let them know that this transgression will be their last or I'll send an assassin of my own."

"And what of Cassandra? Will she be a part of this troop?" Cain tried to keep the hope out of his voice.

"No, she will not… Your daughter is to be punished in front of every League member currently stationed here. Then sent into the Lazarus Pit to heal. This punishment will continue until I say otherwise."

Cain stood there, stunned. He almost begged him to forgive her but he knew it would only make matters worse. He felt his stomach clench. Her suffering would be renowned among the League of Shadows. As Ra's presumably intends it to be. Ra's had complete control over the Lazarus Pit. Those hand chosen by him were allowed to use it. Ra's had two daughters that were rarely allowed to enter the Pit. Cain had never seen it before. The Pits restorative properties heals injuries and is rumored to grant immortality. It's kept Ra's young for decades. Now his daughter was chosen to enter the regenerative pools of the Lazarus Pit, but with this honor came the promise of pain.

"After disciplining her, Cassandra will enter the Lazarus Pit," Ra's wanted to set an example. The League of Shadows only punishment was death but this seemed like the proper thing to do in this case. He'd invested too much into Cassandra to kill her now, it'd be such a waste. She would instead be severely punished while simultaneously reaching a status almost as high as his own. Ra's believed, to enter the Pit was to become a higher level of being. "She will be revered and uncorrupted."

"She's a child! The others will think you've gone insane." Cain tried desperately to think of a way to get his daughter out of this.

"The others will see that the child should be feared."

"What plans do you have for her then? If she's going to be as feared and revered as you say, then she must have some greater purpose!"

"THAT IS FOR ME TO KNOW!" Ra's roared. After a beat he regained his composure and continued, "Now, I suggest you leave and do as you are told before I decide that you should be the one to punish your daughter."

"Yes, sir." David was infuriated but there wasn't much he could do without committing treason but to carry out the orders he was given. As he made his way to the dining room where the Soldier was, he tried to think of ways to break Cassandra free.

* * *

The Winter Soldier was starting to grow impatient. He had sat a while since Ra's had left the room. He took this opportunity to assess the state of affairs and how to correct them.

"Do you need me to check your wounds?" Pema asked him nervously, he hadn't said a word since Cass left the room. .

He didn't answer her, he just stood still. It was off-putting.

"Cass doesn't realize that everyone else isn't as desensitized as her." She continued to try to speak with him.

Again, he said nothing. The stillness of him and the room was starting to make her feel suffocated, like she should be as far away from him as possible to breathe easy. He was so corporate and cold.

"Is she Ra's Al Ghul's successor?" A gravelly voice cut through the disturbing atmosphere. He asked because If the girl was, he should kill her now before he was ordered to do it anyway.

"Ra's has sat on his throne for decades, he will not give it up." Wearily Pema looked at him.

He said nothing else.

At that moment Cain walked in, his eyes immediately searching for Cassandra. Pema stood at attention when he entered. He was worried that Ra's might have already taken her away when he didn't see her in the room. There was only the Soldier and Pema, a local Tibetan healer.

"Where is she?" He looked so distraught. Pema had never seen him like this. He seemed ready for anything that came his way and now he looked so unsure.

"I was ordered to lock her in her chambers, sir," Cain visibly relaxed at her words. She began to worry, "Is something wrong?" He walked to her and leaned in close.

"He's going to hurt her and then heal her only to do it again, and again, and again, and again, until he decides it's enough." He whispered to her, he didn't want others to hear. Pema almost thought it was a cruel joke. She knew that if Ra's wasn't going to simply kill her, then he had something else especially brutal planned for Cassandra.

The Winter Soldiers future didn't look too promising if one of their own was being punished, he would surely be killed. If he could get close enough to Ra's while this was all happening he could still kill him one-armed.

"What about them?" Pema had to ask.

"You are being released." Cain spat out in the direction of the Soldier.

A large group of people entered the room and stood at attention the same way Pema had earlier. One stepped away from the group and spoke to everyone in the room.

"The Head of the Demon demands that every League member make their way to the caves."

"It's already started…" Pema trailed off.

* * *

The Soldier didn't know exactly what was going on, but he knew it was bad news, and not necessarily for him. The large group escorted him along with Cain and Pema through the halls. They black bagged him again. He could feel that they were underground, the air felt thicker, heavier. He was sure that he could make his way out without any problems. When they took off the bag he could see that they were in an extremely large cavern. They had to have hollowed out a large part of the mountain to get it like this. He looked over to Pema and Cain and saw that they were worried. At the center of the cavern was a large raised platform. All around were smaller openings where more League members came through. Everyone was waiting for something.

A silence swept over everyone when Ra's walked out on the platform.

"Bring the prisoners." His booming voice echoed off the walls of the mountain. The remaining men that the Soldier had brought with him were brought to the platform. They were chained together in a line and made to kneel before Ra's. Ra's brought a sword down upon each of them, swiftly and without hesitation. The guards cleared the bodies from the area. The Soldier turned to Cain.

"You said we were free."

"I said you are being released and you still are. Your men were a different matter." He said coldly. His eyes were still fixed on the platform. Ra's voice echoed off the walls a second time.

"Bring forth Cassandra Cain." Ra's looked directly at her father when he said this.

Cassandra was not in chains but she was in different clothing. Her hair was up and she wore a long strange looking dress. It was thin, light, creamy brown, and left her entire back bare, starting again where the curve of her hips started. She stood on the platform waiting. Ra's signaled something to the guards. They came beside her and lifted cuffs that were attached to the wall and secured her to it. They spread her arms like wings and fastened the cuffs. She was facing the wall while her back was facing towards everyone in the cavern. The guards then secured her feet together with the cuffs on the floor. Cassandra was practically being crucified. The Soldier was getting a clearer image of what was about to happen.

Ra's was handed a cruel looking whip. It was made of long, multiple strands of plaited leather with a stiff wooden handle at the end, the strands were tipped with steel claws to add further injury. The Winter Soldier couldn't recall a time where he used that kind of device. Granted, he couldn't recall most things, but weapons he could never forget. He had used torture methods to get information or if it was specifically requested of him, and usually the subject of it would squeal like a pig before he could even make them bleed. He knew a lot of the methods but he was rarely given the chance to use them. Seeing it now in person like this, he felt a small strange sense of peace that he hadn't.

The escorts left the platform and joined the rest of the League.

"I have called you here to witness the rebirth of Cassandra Cain… I will tear her apart and put her back together in the Lazarus Pit." Ra's was the leader of a cult of crazed zealots that were just as insane as he was. The Soldier saw that no one was going to stop him, not even her father who stood idly by.

Ra's raised the whip high above his head and brought it down upon her back with force. The Soldier tried not to wince slightly as he heard the crack of the whip. Cassandra made little noise as the claws ripped into her flesh. Another sharp explosive noise came from the platform. This time she shrieked in agony as the whip tore through her soft creamy skin. Not all the desensitizing training in the world could stop the pain from spreading through her like a fire, burning her.

It was the first time he had heard her voice. He didn't think he could ever forget the sound. It was raspy and guttural, like an animal caught in a trap. Ra's, expressionless all the while, brought the whip down on her. He did it again, and again, and again, and again. Her screams echoed off of the walls and resonated in his chest. He wanted to just stop the noise but he couldn't do anything about it and it angered him. If he had killed Ra's like he was supposed to none of this would be happening, he'd be gone, and wouldn't have to endure the sounds that were searing themselves into the back of his skull.

The symphony of Cassandra's cries were punctuated with the sound of the whip ripping her into her back. She couldn't move or do much of anything chained up. She turned her head in every direction until she met her fathers stare. Her usually rosy face was pale and drained, swollen from crying. She looked to him and hoped that he would stop the pain but Cain did nothing. He only prayed that it would end soon. It didn't.

The Winter Soldier grew angrier and angrier with each sound that came from the platform. He could see the strips of skin that fell from her thin body, he could see the bone, and the noise the whip made when it cracked against them was indescribable. Her screams vibrated through everyone. It was a revolting display of brutality. No one would help her, they all just watched.

Eventually after what felt like hours, Ra's finally stopped when the handle broke. He was panting and drenched in Cassandra's blood. Her dress was now a deep and sickening crimson that clung to her frame. Ra's approached her and removed her restraints. She immediately fell to the floor, shaking. The Soldier stepped forward unsure of what to do. Ra's carefully picked her up and turned to the crowd.

"After she heals in the rejuvenating waters of the Lazarus Pit, she will be brought back out again." With that he walked off the stone platform and headed deeper into the caves.

As soon as he left, everyone began to speak in hushed whispers.

"What the hell was that?" The Winter Soldier turned to David Cain.

"That was my flesh and blood being spilled for sparing your life."

Once Cain turned to speak to Pema, he slipped away from the crowds and tried to find his way through the tunnels. After all, he was still on a mission and he fully intended on finishing it.

* * *

**AN:** _I've thought of splitting up the story. Once it starts to coincide with the movie I might just leave the chapters I have left as a prequel. I'm not sure yet. I get that so far it's not very Marvel-centric, that's my reason for splitting the story (if I do,) more people might be interested in it. It would be written so that you wouldn't have to have read this to get it but it would obviously help. Tell me what you think. Writing this is harder than I had previously thought. Those first couple of chapters kind of just poured out of me and now I'm struggling..._


	5. Rule Again

**AN:** _I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. If anyone cares, I get a lot of inspiration from tumblr (mostly literature and fandom blogs,) and comic books. Admittedly, some writing was lifted right off of the pages with a few minor changes._

* * *

**Rule Again **

Ra's was carrying Cassandra to the Lazarus Pit, she figured that much. She knew he would keep hurting her until he felt satisfied. The shock that had taken over her body allowed her few moments of peace, free from the searing pain. Her skin was on fire, the nerves just splitting apart, the blood loss was beginning to create a haze around her. Ra's was speaking to her but she heard none of it. She was dying.

The Lazarus Pit was a few feet away. The murky waters looked thick and bubbled gaseous smells into the air. The cave was misty and clouded. The only light came from three lanterns casting soft shadows in the mist. Ra's waded into the water with Cassandra in his arms. He gently lowered her into the Pit. She sank in and spluttered trying to breathe, reaching for a way out. Ra's looked down on her and did nothing to ease the suffering he had caused. She was too weak to swim out. The last thing she saw before fading into unconsciousness, was the man with the metal arm entering the cave.

"I was expecting David Cain to come after me." Ra's spoke as he turned to look at the Soldier. He had gotten his hands on some weapons somehow, probably from the group of unlucky sentries that protected the Lazarus Pit. His arm had rebooted.

The Winter Soldier saw Cass in the water, it seemed like a natural spring coming up from the ground. She wasn't moving. He had to act quickly if he wanted to get her out before she drowned. He wasted no more time and shot Ra's in the chest three times and went to grab Cassandra out of the water with his cybernetic arm. He hesitated… it made no difference to Hydra whether this girl lived or died. Deciding that because it made no difference, he could make the choice. Deciding that she should live, he reached for her. At the very least, she might make a very valuable hostage later.

"Stop. if- if you do sh- she'll die… the Pit will heal her." Ra's was spitting up blood and crawling to the water. The Soldier kicked him to the far side of the cave, away from the water, and lifted Cass up. She wasn't breathing. He set her down and started to pump her chest at the edge of the water but she was unresponsive. Her blood was smearing his clothes and it had turned the dark water a deep red. She just wouldn't wake up. He couldn't do anything more for her.

He could hear people stomping throughout the tunnels, he had to leave soon or he'd be captured again. He had completed his mission and had to get to the extraction point soon if he didn't want an enraged frenzy of skilled assassins following him. He looked at Cassandra and thought of taking her with him, she'd be a great asset to Hydra, but now she would be a burden, he'd have to carry her. The Winter Soldier got up and let her float back into the water, he turned to his target and shot him in the head for good measure, then he made his way out of the tunnels.

It was a labyrinth under the mountain, he ran into more members of the League that he made quick work of, and took their weapons. As it turned out counting his steps had been helpful, he had made his way out of the caves sooner than he had predicted.

Once he was above ground, he ran into David Cain and a gun pointed right at his face.

"Where is she?" Cain had the gun trained on him.

"She's dead."

Cain faltered and his gun shook for a second but he steadied himself. "Did you kill my daughter?"

The Soldiers eyes flashed, "I tried to save her." The conviction in his voice almost made Cain lower his weapon.

He didn't want the one good thing he tried to do sullied. All he ever did was kill, he just needed to be pointed in the right direction. Taking lives was all he knew and now that he at least tried to save one, albeit unsuccessfully, he liked knowing he could do more than be a murderer.

After a few moments of thinking Cain spoke, "The grounds have traps, the only safe exit is through a door in the next corridor, second to last on the right." He lowered his gun, moved forward, and made his way to the Lazarus Pit to see his daughter.

The Soldier headed to the next corridor and didn't look back. He disappeared soon after.

David Cain found his daughter in the dark caves of the Lazarus Pit. She looked so still. Her long black hair blending in with the water, pallid skin that contrasted against the gloomy cavern, her blood stained dress swirled around her gently. Any father would say their daughter was an angel, but Cain had thought that he'd stumbled into some dark heaven when he saw her. It was surreal.

He ran towards her and entered the waters without a care, he lifted her up and set her down on dry ground. Setting his head on her chest, he prayed that he would hear a heart beat. He was met with pure silence.

Overcome with grief, he started sobbing. He held her to him tightly begging her to just wake up, begging for her to come back to the world. The Pit should have saved her. It saved Ra's countless times before, why wouldn't it save her?

"Come back to me please, please, come back to me. I need you here with me, what am I supposed to do without you here?" Cain pleaded between convulsive gasps. He carried her back to the water hoping that it would save her. He set her in it and waited.

He turned to step out of the Pit and saw Ra's slumped over with a hole in his head on the floor. The Soldier had completed his mission. David stepped towards Ra's and searched him for his sword. Finding it, he unsheathed the glaring steel, and stared at the corpse of the Head of the Demon.

"She's gone because of you. And your healing Pit did nothing to bring her back to me… It didn't do a goddamned thing for her. Now I'm going to make sure it doesn't do a goddamned thing for you either." David lifted the sword and cut Ra's Al Ghuls head clean off of his shoulders.

* * *

The Winter Soldier trekked through the snow back to his temporary base and gathered what he could. He didn't have much time. Now that he had a basic layout of the League of Shadows headquarters he could bring it down. Earlier he knew bombing the place was overkill, but now it seemed like the perfect thing to do. There were just too many witnesses, and not just that but witnesses with resources, witnesses that were expertly trained killers. They had to die. Right now, they were probably scrambling to find him, or to find Ra's. On the way out the Winter Soldier had killed as many as he could with the exception of David Cain. Now he would die with his daughter.

He called in, "/I need an air strike at the League of Shadows base of operations. Sending the coordinates now./"

* * *

"Sir, this is over doing it." Brock Rumlow, a young man who was gaining ranks fast among Hydra, had just heard that Pierce was giving the green light on an air strike in the Himalayas.

"Your advice is greatly appreciated Rumlow. Send out a pilot, and pick up the Asset." Pierce didn't have much to say on the matter. As long as Ra's Al Ghul and his following died on that mountain he didn't care how it was done.

Rumlow didn't question him any further, "Yes, sir."

A few hours later in the dark of the night an attack aircraft flew over the Himalayan Mountains and dropped a handful of bunker busters on the target site. The earth shook and an avalanche came down on the remains of what was the League of Shadows headquarters. The Winter Soldier watched from a distance as the palace was buried under the snow. If any one had survived, they'd be gravely injured and wouldn't make it far before succumbing to their wounds. He was picked up soon after the incident and taken back to Hydra.

"Mission report." Pierce commanded as soon as the Asset stepped out of the aircraft. Pierce noticed his arm was barely functioning.

"Target was neutralized. Maximum casualties." He spoke as he made his way to be properly repaired.

"What happened to the other operatives?" About seven others were sent out with the Asset and only he came back. If they were here they'd be giving him a much more detailed report.

"Killed in action." Once the scientists saw him, they immediately sat him down and began tinkering with his arm.

Pierce put his hand over his mouth and sighed. "When you're done with repairs put him into cryo." He left the dim room and let the doctors work on the Asset while he figured out how to cover up the entire incident.

While they were fussing over his arm, the Soldier wanted to mention the girl, that the League had experimented on children, but he stopped himself from saying it. Those moments with her, they felt private. The League had been dismantled, their experiments were buried under tons of snow. There was no merit in mentioning it, so he didn't. Instead he opted for something he never thought he'd ask for.

"Wipe my memory." He grunted to one of the men.

Surprised, the engineer looked at the Asset dumbfounded, "W- What?"

"Wipe it." He said with a blank look on his face.

Everyone in the room was confused. The machine used to reprogram him caused a great deal of pain and every memory wipe the Asset went through was an order, not a request. Whatever happened on that mountain, he wanted it out of his head.

* * *

**AN:** _To those of you familiar with Cassandra Cain, I know she would never kill but in the Marvel universe killing is the norm. If you have any comments on whether she should or shouldn't kill, please tell me. Even if you aren't familiar with her, I still want your opinion. There'll be a time jump in the next chapter. I'm terrible at timelines so it might seem off. I don't know how old the characters in the film are but they differ from the comics, which is why I'm having trouble on this._


	6. Secret Name

**AN:** _I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. I keep forgetting to mention that all the titles (excluding the prologue) are from the song After Dark by Tito and Tarantula. It isn't exactly fitting, but the lyrics out of context worked well enough. I couldn't think of anything on my own when I published it. Whoops. _

* * *

**Secret Name**

_2 Years Later_

New York has always been, and will always be, an excellent place for business. There was easy access to everything. That included people. In one of the most crowded cities in the world, it wasn't hard to find people. It wasn't hard to trail people without being noticed. It wasn't hard to say you were with maintenance and break into their apartments to bug it. It wasn't hard to find vantage points among the hundreds of rooftops. It wasn't hard to find someone in New York that would pay top dollar to have someone killed. In fact, it was very easy.

New York is an assassins playground.

The air was crisp and the night was young, as a man walked across a hotel rooftop. He appeared to be a HVAC repair man. At the edge of the rooftop he set down the large toolbox. Inside it was a L115A3 AWM sniper rifle. He carefully set himself up and assembled the rifle. Looking through the scope, he saw his mark through a window in the next building, and took the shot. Glass shattered and his marks head snapped back. Picking up the equipment the man-made his way back inside. Taking off his clothes in the janitor's closet he put on the suit he had stored there earlier, heading to the room he had paid for a month. David Cains cover was that he was a wealthy business man. Usually he would hit his mark and disappear as soon as possible, he stayed this time for a well-earned vacation.

He could hear the sirens now. They wouldn't find a single thing except for a dead CEO and an untraceable bullet. Every camera that would've caught him was on a loop. The disguise was in case anyone saw him. He was in the clear. At least he thought he was until he saw Nick Fury sitting in his very expensive hotel room, on a very plush couch.

"What was my mistake?" Cain asked. He wasn't stupid, if he made a mistake he wanted to know so he could correct it.

Nick stood up and straightened his coat, "You didn't make one. I just know how to find you, when I need to."

"Need to? What do you need?" David was hesitant. Nick and him had a complicated understanding. They were on opposite sides of the law but they operated in similar ways, they were similar people.

"I need you to tell me what you know about Lady Shiva."

"You're her next target." Cain stated. News traveled fast in the circles that assassins, contractors, and mercenaries ran in.

Nick looked at him expectantly.

"You could try to grow your hair out. Lose the patch. She might not recognize you," Cain joked. He wanted to avoid talking about her. He didn't want to talk about Shiva. Unfortunately for him, Fury did.

"Cain, this isn't the first time someone has threatened to kill me. But the information we have on her is limited, I just find it's best to be prepared." He walked around the couch and leaned on it.

"Real name's Sandra Wu-San. She's one of the most skilled combatants I've ever met. Assassin-for-hire, who specializes in killing her targets with her bare hands. But with the security measures you have, I doubt she'll be able to get that close." Cain hadn't spoken of Cassandras mother in years. He didn't feel any love towards her, but… she was the mother of his child. The conversation was making him uncomfortable. Nick picked up on that.

"You know her," he stated.

"I did." It was a long time ago and he doubted she was the same person when they first met each other.

"I found footage from a few decades back. I know she was pregnant, David. What I don't know is where the child is now. You wouldn't know anything about it, would you?" Fury caught on too quickly for Davids liking.

"That's none of your concern." Cains sharp voice almost stopped Fury from saying anything else, almost.

He had practically told Fury everything he needed to know about the child's parentage, "You don't know where either of them are, do you?"

"I don't know where Shiva is." He corrected him. "But I can show you how to stop her from killing you… for a price." Cain knew that Fury was not the right man to negotiate with but he had to try something.

"You're not the one holding the cards here, David, I am. I could take you in right now. But I won't. I am currently extending as much professional courtesy as I can. Now, tell me what I need to know."

"It's my daughter, Nick," Cain confirmed everything Fury was suspecting. "Cassandra." Cain stepped around Fury and sat on the couch in front of the flat screen. He stared blankly at it waiting for Fury to say something.

"Do you know where she is?" Nick had time beforehand to come up with a couple of theories of what Lady Shiva would do with a baby. None of them painted a pretty picture.

David sighed, "Yes… I know where she is."

* * *

_"She's gone because of you. And your healing Pit did nothing to bring her back to me… It didn't do a goddamned thing for her. Now I'm going to make sure it doesn't do a goddamned thing for you either." David lifted the sword and cut Ra's Al Ghuls head clean off of his shoulders._

_It did nothing to relieve the suffocating feeling that was taking over him. He fell to his knees and stared blankly at the man he gave his life to, the man he gave his daughter's life to. The conditioning she went through, the isolation, nervous system training, everything she endured… it was all for nothing. He stood up and that's when he heard it. He heard the sound of soft breathing. He wanted to turn around but was scared that if he did, he'd turn around to find nothing. Willing himself to turn around slowly he was met with the sight of Cassandra still in the water, but now her face had the rosy tint it usually held and her chest was rising and falling. She was alive._

_Running towards her, he got closer and saw that her skin was clear of every scar, as smooth as the day she was born. He went into the water and waded near her, uncertain if it was safe to take her out. The bruise on her face had faded away, just like her other wounds. Cain admittedly had a favorite scar. It was one of many that he had made, it was located on her left shoulder. Looking at the blank skin, he didn't know if he should be happy or sad. Where a gunshot scar should have been, there was simply unembellished skin. He had shot her one day when she was six out of the blue to test her reaction. It was perfect. She hadn't even flinched._

_Deciding that now was the moment, he took her from the water. Her back was intact and as smooth as the rest of her. She coughed up a bit of water. Cain was going to get her out of here, out of this place, out of this mountain, out of this life. He wanted her to have a life, a real life. Temporarily setting Cassandra down he took his outer shirt off and wrapped Ra's' head in it as a precaution. Taking Cassandra and making his way to where the vehicles were held, he thought of where to go._

_The Winter Soldier had killed plenty of League members, Cain ran into a few men but they were busy trying to find the Soldier. They made it to the hangar. There weren't many vehicles, there wasn't practical use for them. There was an army of ski mobiles, a few helicopters, and even fewer jets. Just one jet. It was the obvious choice._

_Cain made it out an hour before the attack on the mountain._

* * *

"Shiva will find a way to get close to you. But she'll hold off the kill order if she doesn't think you're at your fighting weight. She'll want to thrash you around before she rips your throat out. I can't stop her, and neither can you." Cain let his words hang in the air, waiting for Fury to respond.

"Do you know someone who can?" Fury finally relented. He had hired independent contractors before, but never for personal use. The usual security detail wouldn't cut it this time and he was a reasonable enough man to see that.

Cain smiled wide. He had him. "She isn't cheap." Not that she even used currency on a regular basis, but in cases like high-profile assassinations and guarding some of the most powerful people in the world, the quantity someone paid for these services meant what quality they got in return.

"Money isn't an issue. Where can I find her?"

"In the hotel room next door." Cain's smile grew even wider when he saw the look on Fury's face. "Let me introduce you to my daughter, Nick."

**AN:** _I know - No Winter Soldier in this chapter. I don't exactly know what he does in his spare time other than being cryogenically frozen so I couldn't really fit him anywhere. Elaborating on how Cassandra is even near Shield or D.C. seemed important, I didn't want her to just appear out of nowhere. The next chapter will be similar to this one but with more Cassandra, it'll probably have another jump in it going into the CATWS timeframe. P.S. I just finished (literally as I'm posting this,) writing up the story up to the end of the film. I'm very proud and hope everyone likes it as much as I do. _


	7. Distant Fire Light

**AN:** _I do not own any recognizable characters or settings._

* * *

**Distant Fire Light**

Cassandra had heard everything that had gone down in her father's room. She'd seen it with the infrared camera she had set up. She was standing against the wall and had the barrel of a Hellsing ARMS 13 mm Jackal up against it too, aimed in the direction of the other mans voice. It would tear through the plaster easily and then through him, whoever he was. She didn't make it a habit to accompany her father on his assignments, she didn't like to see her father work. It was by chance that she was there covering him. The men in the next room began to move, footsteps heading out and into the hallway. They stopped in front of her door. She hid. Her father had a card key, he could get in if he needed to.

The door opened, Cain stepped in and moved aside for the other man to enter. He was a tall, bald, dark man with an eyepatch. She knew who he was. Cain had a thick file with his picture in it.

"Cassandra." Cain called out to her. She got out from underneath the bed with her gun still pointed at Fury. He didn't sound distressed and his body language wasn't tense, he was perfectly at ease with this man. She lowered it but still held it in her hand.

"Nick, this is Cassandra Cain. Cass this is Nick Fury." David said clearly.

The first thing Fury noticed was that the young woman looked exactly like Lady Shiva. Long black hair framing her heart-shaped face, creamy skin, high cheek bones, wide slanted eyes with dark lashes, it was all Shiva. The only thing remotely Cain about her was her slim straight nose and the weapon in her small hand. A Jackal had always been one of Cain's preferred guns. The second thing he noticed was that her eyes didn't stay on one fixed point, they flashed all over him, as if she were registering everything he could possibly do. Just as quickly as he noticed it, her eyes stopped and stared at his good eye. It was a cold and calculating look. Nick had seen looks like that before, he had given that look before, and it wasn't a look he wanted to be on the receiving end of.

"Now let me see if I get this straight, you want me to hire your daughter to guard me from her mother? Why?" Fury figured there was an ulterior motive the second he heard the word 'price'. He turned to speak to him.

Cain sighed, "You have resources, I don't."

"Resources for what?" Fury was tired of David tip toeing around what he really wanted from him.

"For bringing some semblance of normalcy into her life. Look at her Nick, she barely understands a goddamn word I'm saying."

Fury stopped him, "She doesn't understand english? Did you think I wouldn't notice later wh-"

"It's a side effect of abusive training, Cassandra developed learning functions differently. She was brought up deliberately without speech, she learned body language instead. She's had as much trouble learning spoken and written language as a normal person would have in learning body language. She knows basic things 'no,' 'yes,' 'me,' 'you.' It's an Achilles heel, but other than that she's perfect. She guarded Ra's Al Ghul since she was nine up until his death." Cain tried to explain that Cassandra's only obstacle was language.

Cassandra knew they were talking about her and she knew that they were both frustrated. She could feel it coming off of both of them in waves. She also recognized the name Ra's. She gripped her pistol a little tighter.

"The fact that he's dead isn't reassuring." Fury countered.

"His death was his own fault. He tortured Cassandra to the point of near death, a mistake that costed him his life." Cain spoke vehemently. He wasn't obligated to explain that particular incident any further and he wouldn't.

Fury looked at Cassandra. She still had that look on her face. She hadn't moved an inch. He saw the merits of having someone like her around. He'd seen the results. "I'll want to conduct tests."

That was all David Cain needed to hear.

* * *

"Her individual moves are controlled and precise. It's her aggregate speed that's borderline inhuman. Look - humans can throw a 100 miles-per-hour fastball, smash concrete blocks with their heads, and run 4.2 forties. What they can't do is all of that at once. It's not so much physical as… as mentally impossible. Too much to coördinate. But with what we've seen… " The scientist in Fury's office trailed off as he played back the footage of Cassandra Cains time in the training room where her skills were being analyzed by a group of government experts. The room was programmed so that it created holograms of dangerous situations to test the abilities of the subject. Cassandra demonstrated indisputable skill.

The scientist continued, "The language centers of her brain are all over both hemispheres. Not centralized like with most people. When she tries to read or write, her brain doesn't know how to keep it cohesive." He handed Fury his report on the young woman.

"Send her up." Fury went through the report, it was all scientific research, the doctors put no personal comments or opinions in it. There was no historical background, which was cause to be wary. He knew nothing about her. He knew her parentage but that didn't put him at ease. He had Agent Maria Hill personally dig through Cassandra Cains past and she had found absolutely nothing. Not even a birth record. She didn't exist. There was no footage of her anywhere, except what they had recently recorded. The advantages of having a blank slate were too many to pass up.

After his meeting with David Cain he left them alone a minute to speak. When Cain came out he asked him for a drop off point. Fury gave him the location of a mobile Shield base currently in east Texas. He had set up a team of doctors and scientists to be there. Fury was no fool. To bring her to the Triskelion in Washington too soon would be idiotic on his part. He was eager to see how she would operate but it could wait until she was put through every security measure possible.

As of now, the only people who knew she existed were David Cain, Lady Shiva, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, and a small discrete group of doctors. Fury made a strategic move when he decided he wanted to keep her off record. He had the footage and files erased, the doctors had a stack of non-disclosure paperwork to fill out, and a small chip injected into Cassandra's arm that allowed her access everywhere Fury had access to without having to identify herself. He alerted head of security and said they were trial testing some new tech. It would have been considered a more serious security risk if she wasn't illiterate. Agent Hill would be her handler for the time being.

Cassandra Cain was on a plane and headed to Washington three weeks later.

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**AN:** _I was in fact referencing the Black Widow when Fury was deciding to help, and also Hellsing. __The other Marvel films obviously happen before CATWS and since she's Nick Fury's personal bodyguard at the time, she'd have to be somewhere during all the other films. I was thinking of writing some one-shots, (not many people would be interested in them) let me know what you think. Thanks for reading! _


	8. Fever of My Doom

**AN:** _I do not own any recognizable characters or settings._

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**Fever of My Doom**

Over the course of seven months Cassandra shadowed Fury. She thought him to be a good man. It made her glad to know that she was protecting someone good. She didn't show it though. Fury saw the same sober look on her face day in and day out. Whenever he visited the Shield helicarrier Agent Hill would attempt to teach her English in their spare time, which wasn't often. Cassandra dressed in the Shield uniforms given to her, similar to Agent Hill's but black to match Fury's.

Two attempts had been made on the Directors life since Cassandra was there. Both times were unsuccessful. The first one was a mercenary that Cassandra had seen her father speak with before, Bullseye. He was a skilled freelance assassin. He had the ability to throw projectiles with lethal accuracy. Fury was on site for a mission in Africa when it happened. Cass heard the whoosh of something being thrown. She pushed Fury away and used herself as a shield for him. She took out her gun and started shooting.

He was apprehend by her an hour and a half later. He had run out of projectiles and engaged Cassandra in hand-to-hand combat. She had knocked him out by a sharp blow to the back of his head. He woke up in custody claiming that he couldn't see anything. She had blinded him.

The second one wasn't as much of a threat. The man was an amateur and a shot to the leg had him screaming. She dragged him from the roof he was trying to shoot Fury from and waited for someone to take him away.

Fury was impressed with her efficiency. He had gotten into the habit of speaking to her about minor things. If something wasn't going the way he needed it to, he would grumble about it to her. If everything was going according to plan he would say how he knew all along it would work out. He wasn't sure if the lessons with Hill were paying off, but she was just there so he spoke anyway. Cass admired Fury for his coolness in every situation thrown his way. He was calm and collected. She appreciated that he spoke to her, even though she understood less than half of what he was saying. She wanted to speak to him too. All of her insecurities about her intelligence and frustration with her learning disability quashed the desire to speak, so she stayed silent.

It had been two months after the second assassination attempt when another one occurred. Cass was walking the rooftop of the Triskelion, checking the perimeter. Fury was in his office working late one night like he usually did. The glass was practically bomb proof and his office was secure so she felt certain he'd be safe for now. She was going to make her way inside when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. A silhouette running towards her. Cass alerted Fury by pushing a button on a strange remote he had given her. She sprinted towards the figure and tackled it down. A struggle ensued and they tumbled around trying to get the upper hand on one another. They rolled over into the light of the helicopter pad and Cass froze.

It was her mother. Lady Shiva smiled unkindly and kicked Cass off while she had the chance. Both women rolled onto their feet and sized each other up. They hadn't seen each other since the day Cassandra was born.

"Fury, I know you can hear me. If you or anyone else interrupts our little reunion, every bomb I planted in Washington goes off, understand?" Shiva's honeyed voice spoke clearly. Cass briefly wondered if she would sound like her as much as she looked like her.

Nick Fury's voice came over a PA system, "Understood." Cass could practically hear him grumbling to her. Shiva knew he had only agreed to stall her. He was probably sending out bomb squads all over the capital now. She focused on Cassandra.

"I thought you had died. I spoke to Cain after it had happened. He told me Ra's killed you… Imagine my surprise when I saw you following Fury around like a slave." She ended in a hard tone. She threw a couple of punches and Cass blocked them but she didn't fight her back. She flipped away, trying to put as much distance between them as possible.

"I noticed that when you fought that assassin in Africa, you held back. You could have killed him the second you saw him. And you're holding back now. If you don't fight me with everything you've got, I detonate the bombs."

Without anymore prompting Cassandra went to break Shiva's ribs. They became a blur of fists as they fought. When they broke apart Shiva spoke again, "The League wants you back, little one." Cass understood that perfectly. "Every member who wasn't there during the bombing regrouped. When I came to them with the information of your resurrection, they all agreed, bringing you back takes precedence over the task of killing Nick Fury."

He wasn't the target, she was. Shiva wasn't there to kill Fury, she was there to take Cassandra. The true terror of being taken back had manifested itself in a form Cassandra did not expect.

"No."

Shiva stopped for a moment. The shock of hearing the strong voice that came from her child stopped her. Shiva could only dream of the damage she could cause with the ability to actually speak. The world would be at her feet.

"Our plans are vast… When the world gets a true taste of violent oppression and their heroes lie dead and broken, apathy will die. That's when you'll lead the League, a new world will be born, one of peace and equality, millions of lives will be saved."

"I… won't help you." Cass struggled to find the right words.

"You misunderstand, I want to help you, little one. I want you to become everything you were meant to be. And he is not it," She threw a photograph of Nick Fury at her. "You're limited by his ideals, his dogma. He shelters you from the real world. Keeps you naïve, ignorant, stupid. It's why he never taught you how to read, why he kept you from speaking for so long. There's nothing I wouldn't teach you about this world." Shiva was twisting situations to her advantage to tempt her.

"If someone had the insight, ability, and guts to assassinate Hitler, Stalin or Amin- wait, do you even know who they are? Has he taught you anything besides how to be his tool?" Cassandra attacked her then. It felt good to let loose, hitting with everything after years of holding back. She had Shiva pinned on the ground in seconds.

Cassandra shouted as she hit Shiva over and over again. "You think… I don't know… what war means!" She heard the sickening snap of bones being broken and she stopped. She had broken her jaw.

A team of women and men came up on the helicopter pad with guns and shields, shouting too quickly for Cass to understand the words. Fury came up with more men and looked down at Cassandra who hadn't moved from her place on the floor.

"Bomb squad disabled three bombs throughout the capital, it's safe now." He was soft-spoken for once. She looked up at him and saw that he had his hand out for her to take. She let him help her up. He put his hand on her shoulder and led her to the waiting doctor. Her knuckles were bloody and swollen, and had two cracked ribs.

Fury spoke as the doctor wrapped her hands in bandages, "Your fathers price for taking down Lady Shiva was for me to help you… The first thing I can do is to offer you the position of my personal bodyguard, seeing as how you're so good at it."

Cassandra gave him a watery smile and nodded. She hadn't felt so relieved and thankful before in all her life.

Two years later the Winter Soldier opens up his hard blue eyes and is taken out of cryostasis to assassinate a man named Nick Fury.

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**AN: **_Nick Fury was hard for me to write, if he seemed out of character that's why. I have ideas floating around my head for other stories, e.g. Teen Titans meets the Avengers, Starfire vs. Avengers, Hawkgirl vs. Avengers, it's a lot of crossovers or songfics. Maybe a Bioshock crossover, I was surprised there wasn't any. I have a chapter written for Attending physician/Bucky Barnes, I don't see it going anywhere though. If you have any thoughts on these, message me! _**IMPORTANT:** _This is definitely the last chapter. _Skylines and Turnstiles_ is the next part of the series. I'll be posting it soon. It'll be more frequently updated since I already finished it. Thanks for reading! I really appreciate everyone who reviewed, followed, favorited, or just skimmed through the silly things I took time to write. Again, constructive comments are welcome. _


	9. Excerpt

**AN:** _I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier._

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_Excerpt from:_** Skylines and Turnstiles**

…Once he was out of hearing range, Cass spoke slowly as she looked up at the helicarriers, "He's… just like you said he'd be, Nick." Her slight arabic accent had come as a surprise when he first heard it. The base she grew up on had people from all over the world, but the man in charge of it was of arabic descent and she rarely ever left his side when she was younger.

"Self-righteous?" Fury suggested.

Cass walked to where the Captain had stood moments ago. "A good man." She said. Fury gave her a warning look, he didn't want to argue with her too. He signaled her to follow him back up to his office…

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**AN:**_This is only a small excerpt of _Skylines and Turnstiles_, which follows the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It's not as centered around Cassandra Cain as After Dark is. There are spoilers every chapter. _**It's already up**_, I hope you like it! The dialogue and situations will be familiar. If you are looking for something more original, the third part of this series will be more original. There will be some repetitive information so it can be read as a stand-alone piece. Also in case anyone was wondering; arabic accents flatten and darken vowels. 'E' and 'i' especially aren't as sharp sounding as opposed to a normal american accent._

_I'm planning to have two alternate stories connected to this. One where Cass finds Bucky soon after the events in CA:TWS. It'll be far more Cass Cain/Bucky Barnes centered. The other will continue to take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in which case I'll have to wait for a film to come out to write it._

_I am planning a Pietro Maximoff romance for the up and coming Avengers: Age of Ultron. It'll be entirely separate from this. Thanks again for taking the time to read this, I really appreciate it!_


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